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Abstract:

An artificial rattan includes a thread of a plastic material having a base
portion extending along the length thereof, and a plurality of wing
portions extending along the length thereof and cooperating with the base
portion to define at least one recess thereamong. At least one filament
of a second plastic material is embedded in and extends along the length
of the thread. The second plastic material has a tensile strength greater
than that of the first plastic material.

Claims:

1. An artificial rattan for making a knitted web, comprising:a thread of a
first plastic material having a base portion extending along the length
thereof, and a plurality of wing portions extending along the length
thereof and cooperating with said base portion to define at least one
recess thereamong.

2. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wing portions
are parallel to each other.

3. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at
least one filament of a second plastic material that is embedded in and
that extends along the length of said thread, said second plastic
material having a tensile strength greater than that of said first
plastic material.

4. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
plurality of filaments of a second plastic material, each of which is
embedded in a respective one of said base and wing portions, and each of
which extends along the length of said thread, said second plastic
material having a tensile strength greater than that of said first
plastic material.

5. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said thread has a
generally U-shaped cross-section.

6. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wing portions
and said base portion cooperatively define a pair of said recesses that
open in opposite directions.

7. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base portion
is cylindrical in shape, said wing portions radiating from said base
portion and being angularly displaced.

8. The artificial rattan as claimed in claim 7, further comprising at
least one filament of a second plastic material that is embedded in said
base portion and that extends along the length of said thread, said
second plastic material having a tensile strength greater than that of
said first plastic material.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The invention relates to an artificial rattan, more particularly to
an artificial rattan adapted for making a knitted web.

[0003]2. Description of the Related Art

[0004]FIG. 1 illustrates how a conventional artificial rattan is made. The
method of making the conventional artificial rattan involves melting the
surfaces of two plastic threads 10, which are respectively drawn from two
supplying rolls 11, using a heater 12, intertwisting the plastic threads
10 using a twisting device 13, cooling the inter twisted plastic threads
10 using a cooler 14 so as to form the artificial rattan, and winding the
artificial rattan on a storing roll 15. The artificial rattan thus formed
can be knitted for making a furniture or knitted into a web for making a
cover for furniture, such as a seat or a back rest of a chair. In order
to enhance the attractiveness of the knitted web, the conventional
artificial rattan is formed by intertwisting the plastic threads 10 so as
to have a helical structure which can impart a textured pattern to the
knitted web. However, the conventional artificial rattan thus formed has
a relatively high manufacturing cost due to the requirement of the
heating and cooling operations and intertwisting of the plastic threads
10.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005]Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an
artificial rattan that can overcome the aforesaid drawback of the prior
art.

[0006]According to the present invention, there is provided an artificial
rattan for making a knitted web. The artificial rattan comprises: a
thread of a plastic material having a base portion extending along the
length thereof, and a plurality of wing portions extending along the
length thereof and cooperating with the base portion to define at least
one recess thereamong.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]Other features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a manufacturing process for
a conventional artificial rattan;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred
embodiment of an artificial rattan according to the present invention;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the first preferred
embodiment in a twisted state;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the second preferred
embodiment of the artificial rattan according to the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the second preferred
embodiment in a twisted state;

[0013]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the third preferred
embodiment of the artificial rattan according to the present invention;
and

[0014]FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the third preferred
embodiment in a twisted state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015]Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it
should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote
like elements throughout the specification.

[0016]Referring to FIG. 2, the first preferred embodiment of an artificial
rattan for making a knitted web according to the present invention
includes: a thread 2 of a first plastic material having a base portion 21
extending along the length thereof, and a plurality of wing portions 22
extending along the length thereof and cooperating with the base portion
21 to define at least one recess 24 thereamong. Note that unlike the
threads repeatedly crossing each other for making the conventional
artificial rattan, the wing portions 22 are parallel to each other.

[0017]The artificial rattan further includes a plurality of filaments 23
of a second plastic material, each of which is embedded in a respective
one of the base and wing portions 21, 22, and each of which extends along
the length of the thread 2. The second plastic material has a tensile
strength greater than that of the first plastic material.

[0018]In this preferred embodiment, there are two wing portions 22 and
three filaments 23 integrally formed with the base portion 21. The thread
2 has a generally U-shaped cross-section.

[0019]Preferably, the filaments 23 are made from polyester, and the base
and wing portions 21, 22 are made from PVC and are formed through
injecting molding techniques. The thread 2 can be twisted so as to have a
helical structure as illustrated in FIG. 3 and so as to form a helical
recess 24, which can enhance attractiveness of the knitted web to be
knitted therefrom. The wing portions 22 are parallel to each other along
a helical length of the helical thread 2.

[0020]As shown in FIG. 4, the second preferred embodiment of this
invention differs from the previous preferred embodiment in that there
are two pairs of the wing portions 22 extending from the base portion 21
and that the wing portions 22 and the base portion 21 cooperatively
define a pair of the recesses 24 that open in opposite directions. In
this embodiment, only the wing portions 22 are provided with the
filaments 23. In a similar way, the artificial rattan of this embodiment
can be twisted so as to have a helical structure as illustrated in FIG.
5. Since two helical recesses 24 are formed in this embodiment, the
knitted web knitted therefrom can have a more complicated textured
pattern than that of the previous embodiment.

[0021]As shown in FIG. 6, the third preferred embodiment of this invention
differs from the previous embodiments in that the base portion 21 is
cylindrical in shape, and that there are four wing portions 22 radiating
from the base portion 21 and angularly displaced. In this embodiment,
only the base portion 21 is provided with the filament 23, and there are
four recesses 24 are formed. In a similar way, the artificial rattan of
this embodiment can be twisted so as to have a helical structure as
illustrated in FIG. 7. Since four helical recesses 24 are formed in this
embodiment, the knitted web knitted therefrom can have a more complicated
textured pattern than those of the previous embodiments.

[0022]By forming the helical recess(es) 24 in the thread 2 of the
artificial rattan of this invention, the aforesaid drawback associated
with the prior art can be eliminated.

[0023]While the present invention has been described in connection with
what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is
understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within
the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass
all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.